1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lens-fitted film unit, and. more particularly, to a lens-fitted film unit which contains a roll of film with image frames defined by an alternate arrangement of perforations available for an integrated photographic system from exposure to reprinting.
2. Description of Related Art
Lens fitted film units comprise a simple taking lens and an exposure mechanism incorporated in a unit casing as well as a patrone or cartridge containing a roll of film. Such a lens fitted film unit, for instance "Utsurundesu Super 800" or "Quick Snap" (both are trade names), has been widely used. These types of lens fitted film units are low-priced and intended to let everyone find pleasure in taking pictures whenever and wherever he or she wants. After exposures of a roll of film, the lens fitted film unit with the exposed film left inside is sent to photoshops for development and printing.
In recent years, what is called Advanced Photo System in which a new film format is employed has been announced. The new photographic system includes a sophisticated development and printing system and a new, small sized format of roll film contained in a unique patrone or cartridge prepared according to the sophisticated development and printing system. This new format film strip, which is intended to be used in appropriate cameras like conventional 35 mm format cameras but quite different in attributes from the conventional 135 size films, has an alternate arrangement of two different sizes of perforations in a lengthwise margin, namely framing pairs of adjacent different size perforations which are arranged at short regular intervals and each pair of which defines an image frame of the film strip therebetween and spacing pairs of adjacent different size perforations which are arranged at long regular intervals and each pair of which defines a space between adjacent exposure image frames. During printing, the utilization is made of the perforations to automatically locate each image frame of the film strip in correct position. For greater details of this new photographic system, reference may be had to a report entitled "The Entire Picture of New Standard Film APS", in the March issue of the "Photographic Industry", 1996.
The new photographic system has been developed on the assumption that exposed image frames of a film must be at predetermined distances from a reference position of the film. In other words, The new photographic system has a requirement that a film must be exposed at approximately definite frame positions unlike the conventional photoprocessing systems which allow the conventional 135 size films to have image frames exposed at relative positions. Positional inconsistency of exposed image frames causes troubles during printing by means of printing machines designed and furnished in conformity with the requirements for the new photographic systems. In order to meet the demand of the new photographic system, the new format film must be contained in a pertinently prepared patrone or cartridge of which details and features are described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-266053. The most distinctive functional features of this cartridge are the mechanical and magnetic entry of exposure and processing data which are recorded on the film strip and/or the cartridge itself and are available during processing and printing, a film drive mechanism including a spool and a light lock door. Further, it is also featured that the processed film is returned in the original cartridge to the customer. This unique film cartridge enables, for instance, to display all pictures of a negative film contained therein on a home TV like a video tape by the utilization of a negative player designed for the new photographic system and to import images of a negative film contained therein into a personal computer by the utilization of an image scanner. For these image displays, the cartridge is handled just like a video tape cartridge.
When loading the cartridge with a roll of film entirely rolled therein in a camera, the light lock door is turned to open the egress/ingress slot with the result of allowing the film to be advanced and rewound by means of the film drive mechanism which in turn cooperates with a film wind/rewind mechanism of the camera pertinently designed for use with the cartridge. Specifically, if the camera is of a pre-wind type, it automatically forces the film strip out and winds it on a spool in a film take-up chamber at opposite side of the camera interior to the cartridge chamber immediately after loading the cartridge and rewinds the film strip by one image frame every exposure. When the film cartridge is intended to be unloaded, the camera rewinds the film strip entirely within the film cartridge in spite of full exposures or partial exposures of the film strip. Immediately before the film cartridge is unloaded out of the camera, the light lock door is automatically actuated to close the egress/ingress slot so as to provide a reliable light-sealed interior of the film cartridge. In this manner, the film cartridge used in the new photographic system furnishes access-free film loading and unloading, which means it is unnecessary for the user to deal with the film leader with the user's hand for loading and unloading.
The film cartridge may be reloaded in a camera to continue another part of exposures, or otherwise is put to a photoshop for development and printing. During film processing the data entered through the data entry mechanism are used, which is always preferable for easy processing operations and high quality pictures.
After development and/or printing, the whole length of film strip is returned in the original cartridge to the customer. As compared with the conventional photoprocessing systems in which film strips are cut into several pieces and returned in a folding negative holder, returning the negative film in the cartridge offers easy storage and handling of the negative. For reprinting extra copies of pictures from the negative, the cartridge is taken to a photoshop and enables the exposure and processing data to be available at any photoshop.
While the advantageous features of the new photographic system are available for lens-fitted film units, various constraints must be imposed on built-in and united mechanisms of the lens-fitted film unit approaching the new photographic system, in particular the unique film cartridge, in all aspects including cost performance. As previously mentioned, the film cartridge is equipped with various mechanisms, including the film drive mechanism, the data entry mechanism and the light lock door, which boost up manufacturing costs as compared with the conventional 135 mm size film cartridges. If a lens-fitted film unit is intended to make use of the distinctive feature of the unique film cartridge and, in addition, the features of the new photographic system, various precise mechanisms associated with the cartridge mechanisms must be installed in the lens-fitted film unit. In order for the lens-fitted film unit after use to allow the film cartridge to be taken out in an open room, a light lock door operating mechanism is essentially incorporated in the lens-fitted film unit, resulting in a rise in the price of the lens-fitted film unit of which predominant advantages lie in low price and simple structure.